A teacher in Central Coast, British Columbia, faced a one-day suspension of her teaching certificate for showing inappropriate videos to students, one of which involved a man in a bathing suit eating pie. The incident led to the Commissioner for Teacher Regulation determining that Margaret Lewick had engaged in professional misconduct, resulting in an order for her to take a course on communication and conflict resolution.
According to a consent agreement, Lewick exhibited the misconduct by displaying two inappropriate videos to her Grade 9 students on November 21, 2024. The first video was described as containing sexual connotations, with a scene showing a man eating a meat pie on a beach in a Speedo bathing suit, prompting Lewick to turn it off. The second video depicted an aggressive teacher subjecting students to electric shocks and using derogatory language towards perceived weak individuals.
Following the showing of these videos, Lewick made disparaging remarks towards an education assistant during a Grade 8 class, causing the assistant to feel demeaned. As a consequence of these incidents, School District 49 imposed a five-day suspension on Lewick, which she has yet to serve. It is important to note that discipline administered by the school district is distinct from that imposed by the teacher regulator.
Furthermore, the suspension of Lewick’s teaching certificate was also linked to a separate incident. In November 2023, while teaching an art class, Lewick took a cutting tool away from a First Nations student, prompting the student to question if the action was racially motivated. In response, Lewick sarcastically affirmed the student’s query. This exchange led to a discussion among students about the perceived racism in Lewick’s comment, causing discomfort among the class.
In another occurrence, Lewick expressed frustration by stating, “You can’t take a joke” and referenced having heard comments about race for years. Subsequently, following the incident, Lewick received a three-day suspension from the district, which she served in June 2024. The Commissioner highlighted that Lewick had previously received disciplinary warnings for various issues, including inappropriate physical contact with a student. The decision to suspend her teaching certificate for one day was based on her failure to establish a positive classroom atmosphere and her history of similar conduct warnings.